FEATURES

The YWCA Women's Tri's Awesome New Director...

Monday, 15 January 2024 00:10

By YWCA Minneapolis (Blog)

Kym Zest is returning to the YWCA Women’s Triathlon as Race Director! In her five-year break from the race she pursued other athletic achievements, started her own coaching business, and had a baby. Now, she’s back to serve the triathlon community, as it has been her home base since 1997. (You can read many of her triathlon race stories on her blog (midwestwithzest). From her first year with YWCA Minneapolis in 2010, Kym has felt how special our Women’s Tri has been. After some challenging pandemic-related years with the Women’s Tri, Kym is excited to revitalize the race and lead the Twin Cities and national triathlon community to empower women and eliminate racism....

Q&A with Kym Zest

Coaching is in Kym Zest’s blood. Her father, Ben Zhao, was the long-time head coach for cross-country and track and field at Southwest High School. At nine years old, Kym started swimming competitively; from the beginning, she was curious about what made a good athlete. As a young child, she spent weeks analyzing her performance and planning for the next competition. For decades, Kym has brought that level of focus and intensity into her athletic pursuits and guiding athletes in theirs. Kym established her coaching career by founding Bumble Beez Athletics, a

value-based athletic program for youth 9-13 years old, in 2002; she ran that business until 2008. In the summer of 2010, Kym joined YWCA Minneapolis as a personal trainer. Since then, she has been a coach for our former Otters Swim Team, an endurance sports coach, a yoga teacher, and an assistant race director and training coordinator for the Women’s Tri (2014-2017). Now, she returns as the full-time race director for the latter. We welcome Kym back to the organization!

Which identities would you like to share?

I identify as a mixed-race heterosexual, cisgender woman using she/her pronouns. My dad immigrated from Hong Kong in the 1970s, and my mother’s side immigrated from Denmark in the 1880s. I grew up right here in Minneapolis and live near George Floyd Square. I strongly identify with being Minnesotan. I also identify as an overachieving goofball.  READ MORE